1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of repelling wasps and to compositions which are useful in this method.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Insect repellents are preparations which are used externally to repel and/or drive away insects and also ticks and mites and are intended to prevent insects, ticks and mites from becoming active on the skin. Insect repellents are intended to protect the skin from irritation by blood-sucking or biting insects and other parasites and/or pests by repelling these before they settle on the skin, so that stings or bites do not result. Accordingly, the agents act not as contact poisons, but only as repellents since they do not kill the animals but only drive them away.
One repellent active ingredient is, e.g., 1-methylpropyl 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperidinecarboxylate (INN: Icaridin, CAS number: 119515-38-7, Elincs number: 423-210-8), having the following structure:

Another common repellent active compound is ethyl 3-(N-n-butyl-N-acetylamino)propionate (also called repellent 3535), which is characterized by the following formula:

One skilled in the art is also familiar with the active repellent compound N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (trade name: meta-delphene, DEET), which is characterized by the following formula:

These substances have often been described as repellents against insects, in particular mosquitoes or ticks, such as, e.g., in DE 2246433, DE 19645250, DE 19645920, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.
In WO 2006/096876 and WO 2005/034626, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein, dihydronepetalactones are described as repellents against insects.
Catnip or nepeta is known as a mosquito repellent and is said to have a ten times stronger repellent action against mosquitoes than conventional repellents.
DE 10 2005 033845, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein, mentions, among others, using certain perfume ingredients to repel mosquitoes, sand flies, lice, gadflies, wasps, bees, flies and ticks.
The problem in this regard is that a repellent ingredient that is effective, e.g., against mosquitoes, does not exhibit this repellent effect against other insects or only to a limited extent.
In particular, the known insect repellents have hitherto proven unsuitable as a repellent against wasps.
Preparations with a high concentration of repellents can lead to skin irritations in individual cases, in particular among people with particularly sensitive skin. Furthermore, the active repellent ingredients have an inherent odor discernible to the human nose and not exactly appealing to others, which makes the application of insect repellent not very attractive. The repellent effect of the preparation thus extends not only to insects but furthermore to other people on occasion, if they have a keen sense of smell.
It is desirable to have available a preparation that makes it possible to repel wasps and in particular, a wasp repellent that has a reduced skin irritation potential and which gives off a fragrant perfume pleasant to the human nose.